Considering where I acquired my Blazer from, the condition it was in, my back yard repairs and upgrades, I would say not only is it very doable, but it can also be a very rewarding and fun experience!


I literally picked up my 04 from a junk yard! They acquired it from a car lot that couldn't sell it because of the amount of work it needed to be a reliable daily driver again. It was destined to be dismantled and crushed had I have not stepped in and purchased it It was leaking oil, leaking antifreeze, overheating, AC didn't work (compressor locked up), interior was trashed, other than that everything else seemed great; it ran good, 4x4 worked, and the body was straight and no rust, so I took the gamble. Brought it home and tore the top end apart, only needed the lower intake gasket replaced to stop the leaks, I ended up doing that and replacing everything but the evaporator in the AC system (compressor, condenser, dryer, lines), new radiator (took the opportunity to upgrade to electric fans at that time too; well work it), rebuild the entire front steering and suspension, replaced all the brake components, and pieced the interior back together over the next few months from junk yard finds. Today I drive it daily and continue to modify it further. It has only left me stranded once in town when the fuel pump died, but other than that it has easily been one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned, which is astonishing to think considering it was destined to be parted out in a junk yard before I picked it up.

 

I was wondering how many miles it had when you got it and how many miles are on it now?

 

So I'm breaking down your list to make comments on each as these repairs overlap quite a bit with what I've had to do to mine.

she needs or needs addressed:

• fuel lines: Not sure which lines you need. Might not be bad if you have space to do the fix yourself.
• oil cooler line: very doable by the home-mechanic but one of the kind of annoying jobs due to lack of space.
• gas guage fixed: this might mean getting a new gauge cluster at the junk yard. I had to do that when my speedometer would "stick" at certain speeds.
• an alignment: Every car needs this eventually, count it as part of your on-going maintenance.
• the driver door fixed: An easy fix by replacing the door pin bushings. Get the tool to do it. An extra pair of hands helps.
• a rear wiper motor: Could mean getting a motor at the junk yard.
• ac compressor, I just did this myself. If the compressor is bad though, just putting in a new one might not help. Look for my thread on this. If you don't live where it gets very hot, you might be able to do this fix later.
• new console lid: Easy fix with a trip to the junk yard.
• climate control switch fixed( only blows out vents wont switch to defroster), This could actually be an issue with leaking vacuum hoses under the hood. There are many threads on this repair. It is easy and the parts are cheap. I also have a thread describing the hoses I needed to fix mine. If not vacuum, getting one of these switches at the junk yard is cheap and easy to do
• 4x4 only shifts in when put into 4 low but will stay engaged when switching back to 4 hi....: This could be related to the vacuum issue, and therefore an easy fix, as described above because vacuum is also used to put the front axle into gear.
• shifts hard out of 1st gear but was told it has a shift kit but I'm not sure about that: Could very well be due to a shift kit. When I had my transmission rebuilt I had a shift kit installed as do many others.

The only other thing I'd suggest considering is replacing the lower intake manifold (LIM) gaskets. These have been known to fail catastrophically and dumping coolant into the lifter valley. This destroys the bearings and the motor.